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u/ThadsBerads Jan 16 '26
There are a few things in this world that I know are filthy, yet I still love. These are one of those things. Also on that list is canned Puritan beef stew when I'm sick, and that's basically dog food.
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u/traxxes Jan 16 '26
I have vivid memories of having Puritan Irish stew cans as a kid with just buttered bread when the parents were too lazy to cook after work some nights, I always loved it. When asked if we can have it again my mom would say no it's only for "once in a while"
Then one day moved out and well into adulthood I saw them at the dollar store and decided to look at the label, realized why my mother said it's not an always thing, sodium for those is through the roof, but Damnit do I still love a can every now and then.
The cherry blossom things though I cannot stand even as a child.
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u/Rx_Diva Edmonton Jan 16 '26
Same! I also loved the Canadian Habitant Pea Soup when sick, I remember knocking it on the floor one day watching The Price is Right And my dad, who was on shift work, s came home midday day stared but said nothing to me.
He went straight to my mom to say that I had thrown up all over the carpet and couch and this is why he never wanted kids because they are germ vectors that destroy your things.
He was a person who loved those cherry abominations in his stocking each year while mom was stuck cleaning up after the kids, with an empty stocking on Xmas.
From an adult's perspective he may have been correct about kids but he's also divorced now and I still hate these "treats".
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u/Perfect-Match-2318 Jan 16 '26
weirdly the habitant french canadian pea soup is made in the usa look at the can youll see
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u/Rx_Diva Edmonton Jan 16 '26
What!?! I have to do better to buy local. Thanks for the update!
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u/BluBubbleKing Jan 19 '26
Family situation sounds like it sucked, but I got to say when you mentioned Habitant Pea Soup, I thought I was dreaming. Other than very few people I knew growing up, no one ever had this stuff but I freaking loved it. I had it for lunch every school day for 12 years until they freaking changed the recipe and added cornstarch making it freaking gross. I found out these changes probably happened after they were purchased by Campbell's and so called them up to complain. They mailed me a voucher for Campbell's products so I could go to the store and use it like money, but they never change it back and I haven't eaten it almost at all since 😔
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u/CapitalElk1169 Jan 16 '26
I had a course in university marketing taught by someone who was previously a higher up at Campbell's. They always WANTED to reduce salt, but whenever they did it, sales tanked. So the amount of salt increases slowly every year instead...
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u/Brilliant-Advisor958 Jan 17 '26
Those Puritans stews aren't bad, but its that first smell when you open them that hits me.
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u/ExpertAdvance7327 Edmonton Jan 16 '26
i'd often mix it with rice to offset the salt lol
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u/Empress_Natalie Jan 20 '26
So that would make it like a pepper steak(ish)
I fucking love that gross stew and I'm gonna have to try it with rice, so thank you for that!
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u/Knights-of-steel Jan 19 '26
Those were also really good once upon a time. The current vs old recipe is wildly different.
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u/AnOkayMuffin Jan 16 '26
I worked at a pet store and a customer came in once and said he fed his dog Puritan stew cuz it was just as good. I tried to tell him as best I could that he's gonna cause his dog pancreatitis just from the salt and fat alone never mind the macros differences between humans and dogs but he was having none of it.
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u/TrainAss Jan 16 '26
I miss the big cans of that stuff. It was a staple for my family growing up when we'd go camping.
Is it good? Debatable.
Does it remind me of my childhood when things were better? Fuck yeah bud!
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u/Grmpybear3 Jan 16 '26
You just woke up a memory of tobogganing and getting home soaking wet and cold to a bowl Of hot beef stew mom warmed up on the stove. With a side of hot chocolate.
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u/reeferthetuxedocat Jan 16 '26
As soon as you said “Puritan” I instantly saw the image of the that can! That and the meatball one! Just a can of meatballs!
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u/HankHippoppopalous Jan 16 '26
My friend has a plan to loot all the Champion Pet Food factories in the area when the apocalypse shows up "because its basically Canned Beef stew" which I laughed at, but then I looked at the dog food.
Puritan Beef Stew is worse for you than the dog food.
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u/greenknight Jan 17 '26
Not sure if it's still the same but, many moons ago, I toured the Morrinville facility.
Of the hundreds of food production facilities I've visited and worked in it was the only one I'd literally let you pick a random part of the production floor and I would get down and give it a big ol' lick without hesitation.
Seriously amazing ingredients, people, and facility.
Given the nature of enshittification I imagine it's not quite as inspiring these days (I'd be super happy to be wrong) but I still feed my dogs Acana and Orijen when I can.
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u/Tuggerfub Jan 16 '26
I think eating these as a kid gave me a stat boost on being a lesbian later in life
I am not explaining
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u/ConcentratedUsurper Jan 20 '26
No need to tell that you bit the top up and tounged out the syrup around the cherry lol
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u/Fresh-Collarabi Jan 16 '26
It's the dog food texture that keeps me coming back. I've tried to tell myself I won't buy another can but 2 or 3 times a year it magically appears heated in front of me.
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u/Censorshipisanoying Jan 16 '26
Puritan beef stew, or meatballs and their corned beef hash all look like dog food, but I love them all. Except the corn beef, Ill put them on potatoes or tater tots and it has been a meal at the end of a hard days work. These with Idahoan instant mashed potatoes has been a hotel meal many times through the years working on the road in small towns throughout the north where restaurants close by 6-7 in alot of cases.
Still keep a can of these or chunky soup in my work bags just incase while working most of the time. Rarely have to eat them, but still do on occasion if the craving stikes.
Definitely not as cheap as they use to be, I remember when you could buy the cans for less than a dollar. Use to eat a lot of this stuff on work shifts and spend $2-3 dollars of my $30-40/day living alowance, and PB sandwiches for breakfats and lunch just so I could spend the rest on beer ....lol
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u/arandom4567 Jan 16 '26
Puritan beef stew when I'm sick
Fraser Farm Meatballs and Gravy on toast is my go-to. I dread to really know what's in that!
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u/tom_yum_soup Edmonton Jan 16 '26
Funny story: my wife grew up eating those. Bought a can for nostalgia and ate it for dinner before going to the doctor for a check-up. The high sodium sent her blood pressure through the roof and the doctor was so concerned he made her monitor her blood pressure for a month. (She was fine; it was literally just the insane sodium in the meatballs and her blood pressure was normal the entire rest of the month she had to track it.)
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u/FriendshipSome8223 Jan 17 '26 edited Jan 17 '26
Omg.. I love Puritan stew. With 2 slices of buttered wonder bread? One of my favourite guilty pleasure meals.
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u/Expert_Cautious Jan 17 '26
Omg I found my people 🥹🥹🥹Puritan Irish Stew 😍
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u/ThadsBerads Jan 17 '26
It really confuses the cats when I open a can. They think they are getting fed lol. The ravioli however, they have no interest in.
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u/mekanikman Jan 16 '26
I tried this stuff once and literally checked that it wasn’t dog food because that’s exactly what it looked, smelled and I imagine tasted like.
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u/nosajsom Jan 17 '26
I'm not sure I understand why you call them filthy. Is there a health concern with these types of chocolate? They're my favourite
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u/mike_rumble Jan 19 '26
I used to like Puritan Stews, but with the price averaging $5 a can in most stores, it's out of my budget these days. It was $1.97 just a few years ago. It's the formed beef chunks that make it seem like dog food.
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u/KawaiiQueen_666 Jan 19 '26
I’ve been looking for the “Irish stew” for so long. It was my dad’s comfort meal to cook 🤣. Tim of stew over some rice.
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u/Mutex70 Jan 16 '26
Yes, those are contraband. Please send your location and I will send someone to take these for proper disposal.
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u/Strong_crafter Jan 16 '26
Where did you find these?!?!?! A favourite of mine and and I’m so sad they stopped making them. 😭
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u/Wackkredittz Jan 16 '26
THEY STOPPED MAKING THEM????
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u/Spooky_Little_Witch Jan 16 '26
I found some Cella Chocolate covered cherries at a Co-Op gas station and bought them for my mom. I don't know how they compare to the original Cherry Blossoms though
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u/jjustpeachyy Edmonton Jan 16 '26
They’re next of kin, in my eyes. Once Cherry Blossoms stopped being produced I started getting Cellas as the closest alternative.
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u/T-Wrox Jan 17 '26
I was going to buy a pack of Cella dark-chocolate-covered cherries this Christmas, but I didn't buy them because they are US American. :(
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u/NefariousnessEasy629 Jan 16 '26
I saw that Costco Business Centre has them online but I'm not sure if this is true or not
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u/JackMcCockiner Jan 20 '26
People bought them all up and they are selling for absolutely insane prices on ebay if you want some that bad lol
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u/AnOkayMuffin Jan 16 '26
I was so effing sad when I heard these were dyin. I must have been the only person buying them and thats why they went out of business.
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u/j1ggy Jan 16 '26
Yes. What you have right here is 15% of the sugar and 27% of the cherries we currently have nationwide.
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u/Mad_Moniker Edmonton Jan 16 '26
Anyone remember the Wig Wag ? That interlaced web of caramel and chocolate. 🤗
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u/T-Wrox Jan 17 '26
Oh yeah. You'd get one of those because they looked so much bigger than the rest of the chocolate bars! :D
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u/FreshlyCalgarian Jan 16 '26
They're not the same as they were before.. the chocolate seems the same, similar to a toblerone - but the cherry sauce is different than it was in the 90s, early 2000s.
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u/Hi_Jacker Jan 16 '26
I agree, I bought one before they got discontinued. I took one bite and threw the rest in the garbage.
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Jan 16 '26
Grandmother bit into one only to find a maggot/worm?!? In it when I was a kid. Hard to forget her reaction - she spat so hard her dentures flew out. 😂
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u/sunnyside_all_over Jan 16 '26
Anyone else remember the TV commercials for these? Also got a laugh out of 12 year old boys…
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u/PointyWombatReborn Jan 16 '26
I used to really like those in the 70s when I was a kid. Had one about 10 years ago and it was just awful. No idea what changed, but it wasn’t what I remembered.
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u/calnuck Jan 16 '26
Loved them as a kid in the 70s too, but taste buds change and mature so it might not have been the product. I had one for nostalgia's sake just before they were pulled, and hoo boy I found it just painfully, overwhelmingly sweet. Same reason I can't eat Cadbury Easter Creme Eggs any more. Far too sweet.
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u/Rx_Diva Edmonton Jan 16 '26
Can confirm. Creme Eggs are so sweet they make your teeth hurt. Such an odd feeling.
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u/drammer Jan 16 '26
Its cool how these are made. Use to love these as a kid, I probably haven't had one in 40 years.
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u/Deldenary Jan 16 '26
Weirdly enough, thess are my least favourite chocolates, followed closely behind by mint flavoured chocolate. One of my exes got me a box of chocolates, didn't know what to buy and asked the lady at the counter. He presented me with a box half cherry chocolates half minty chocolates....
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u/matt48763 Jan 16 '26
I loved these things right up until they almost killed me by anaphylaxis.... Could never trust them again.
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u/Jester1525 Jan 16 '26
I've got 13 of them in my freezer - all that I could find one I found out they were discontinued..
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u/garmdian Jan 16 '26
Hmm weird my local Dollarama had a ton of these things, I might have to go grab a few
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Jan 16 '26
I love these! That warning label doesn’t surprise me though lol. I used to stock up on them throughout the year and store them in my freezer. Then leave them in the fridge for days as I enjoyed them all winter.
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u/Pophop91__ Jan 16 '26
So we can find these again, but not them damn chocolate marshmallow Santa’s?? This some bs! (Also if you have found the chocolate covered marshmallow Santa’s, please lmk where you found them! I’m craving them!)
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u/CanadianLadyK Jan 16 '26
What’s wrong with them? Why did they start disappearing?
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u/Tuggerfub Jan 16 '26
yo they stopped making those SO LONG AGO... maybe the liquor in them is actually powerful now..
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u/DollyWi Jan 17 '26
Omg! I’ve been away from my Canadian home for 20 years and I so miss splurging on a Cherry blossom every so often. Damn 😭😭😭
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u/JustBYXin Jan 17 '26
lol. Took my husband shopping for Halloween candy a couple years ago and he absolutely insisted on buying a 20 pack of cherry blossoms. I thought 🤮 , but the parents with kids at the door were egging on their kids to get one for them. Turned out to be quite popular
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u/Careful-Plankton4164 Jan 17 '26
I've never tried one of these...I don't like cherries. But thinking back to chocolate I loved as a kid...MAPLE BUDS!!!! I wish those were still around 😋
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u/Interesting_Fly5154 Jan 17 '26
bring me this contraband. i will make sure it is disposed of properly................
in my tummy. lol
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u/Loose-Version-7009 Jan 17 '26
They should bring back the Lowney's chocolate covered cherries if these are still being made... I miss them.
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u/Anemacia Jan 17 '26
Where did you find Cherry Blossoms?! They were discontinued a couple of years ago, but if they’re still available, where???
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u/Iowa_and_Friends Jan 17 '26
WHERE DID YOU GET THIS!!! I bought out the entire supply at Dollarama - three cases!
… the day they announced the discontinuation, three friends texted me within like 30 minutes saying how sorry they were - and that I’m the only person they know who likes them. I swear - I didn’t mean to make a candy my personality 😂
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u/Jolly-Passenger8 Jan 16 '26
Never as good as I anticipated and messy
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u/waterbat2 Jan 16 '26
These have been "rare" and "discontinued" for like 10 years but they keep showing up anyhow lmao. To the point where i feel like the manufacturer started the rumors to sell more of them
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u/3CH0SG1 Jan 16 '26
No. The product in the box is discontinued as of summer 2025. The person sending it probably purchased them for someone special
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u/Cassielove2024 Jan 16 '26
Yummmm love these. Really don't need a label to tell me these are not too good for me, these are one risk I will take occasionally.
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u/Comprehensive-Arm973 Jan 16 '26
That's my dad's favorite Candy... I never cared for them much myself... if you happen to come across some Red Vines thou...
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u/Roadgoddess Jan 17 '26
Where did you find these! I’m devastated. They’re not being made anymore! Please tell me you found them in Calgary
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u/Susan_Werner Jan 17 '26
I bought one a few years ago but I can't remember where. It was a lot smaller and just didn't taste very good. Could be because my taste buds have changed now that I am older.
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u/revolution_soup Jan 17 '26
wait those things are bad??? they’re getting discontinued???? noooo I loved them D:
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u/Intoodeeptosleep2025 Jan 18 '26
Very strange - I woke up this morning with a fresh dream in my head about Cherry Blossoms. That was before seeing this post and without any other reasons or reminders . Hadn’t thought about them in years.
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u/Fit_Contribution_62 Jan 18 '26
I saw these for sale on Facebook market place. Is that where you bought them?
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u/msk3rr Jan 19 '26
It's the Canada label advising what the food is high in and stuff.. if you ate talking about the black and white symbol
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Jan 19 '26
Nobody has ever shoved them up their ass to get them across a border. But they certainly taste like someone's shoved them up their ass.
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u/Misscamp Jan 19 '26
I used to think those looked like tonsils as a kid , would never touch them lol
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u/TemporaryMaterial992 Jan 19 '26
I dont know what everyone is talking about in the comments… these are actively for sale at the dollarama where I live by the cash register and in the candy isle?…..
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u/PearNormal9583 Jan 20 '26
.... remember growing up my grandma loved them. I loved them as well was very sad when the discontinued it
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u/TAY_LORRRRRRRR Jan 20 '26
If it is, just eat them. How can they ask if you have them if you’ve eaten all of them.
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u/Wheres_Wierzbowski Jan 20 '26
I never liked Cherry Blossoms but now that I can't have them I want one
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u/Mont001950 Jan 20 '26
I discovered these in Montreal when I first came to Canada. Will ALWAYS be a favourite of mine. I am still grieving from their absence on the shelves.
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u/SaraAngelopoulos1 Jan 20 '26
These are so nostalgic for me for some reason. Despite never buying them or knowing anyone who did as a child. Probably just remember seeing them in the stores all the time.
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u/Zehrik Jan 20 '26
This candy has had the exact same horrible packaging my entire life. I will always remember the Cherry Blossoms sitting on the bottom shelf of my local convenience store, collecting dust. I think they removed them and re-distributed them across the rest of the convenience stores in the area once that one shut down.
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u/JackMcCockiner Jan 20 '26
Dude is rich off discontinued canadian snacks. Things are going for absurd prices on ebay
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u/grizzerybear Jan 21 '26
Woah woah I thought these weren’t being made anymore and missed buying some. Are they back?
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u/[deleted] Jan 16 '26
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